Forbidden
by NeverSayNever777
Summary: The year is 1899. Clare is a member of the prestigious and wealthy Edwards family, and Eli is blamed unfairly for the death of Julia. They're from two different, opposing worlds. Will this tear them apart, or will it only bring them closer?
1. Chapter 1

_ "Clare… We can't be here…"_

_ "But, please, I need you." She locked her crystal pools with his green ones. "You're the only one who understands…"_

_ "Clarabelle! What are you doing here with that… that murderer!" A camera flashed, and her eyes looked up to meet her mothers, alight with concern; then her fathers, glowing darkly with anger and malice. _

"Clarabelle! Get out of bed, it's practically noon!"

Clare rubbed her eyes and, sure enough, the sun had begun to shine through as Eloise opened the blinds one by one. "It's _Clare_," she corrected, gathering her nightgown and rising lazily out of bed. "What do I have to do today?"

Clare watched as the new maid, Eloise, opened the closet and began to pull out undergarments, hanging them each on Clare's closet door. Eloise was a small woman, with a round, cheerful face and a nice smile. But still, Clare despised having maids.

To be quite honest, Clare despised the glamorous life that all other 16-year-old Manhattan girls envied. Secretly, Clarabelle Edwards wanted adventure; no, danger_._ She wanted to have a secret love affair with a boy her parents hated. She wanted to sneak from her third-story balcony in the dark of night, wearing a too-short dress she could actually breathe in. She longed to be free of cameras and reporters, desperate to capture every moment of the lives of the wealthiest family in New York.

"Lunch with the Coyne family, then dinner and a ball tonight with the- Oh, who's that new family in town? Ah, the Torres's. Pretty little girl they have. Grace, I think her name was. And I thought you could wear your blue Chanel gown, it makes your eyes look beautiful." Eloise smiled at Clare and she returned it. "You'll want to make a good impression, that Andrew Torres is quite the looker." Eloise winked at her.

Clare's face fell, and all positive feelings she previously had towards Eloise vanished at the mention of another marriable bachelor her mother pre-approved of. Way too often, Clare had arrived at a luncheon or a benefit to find an overly handsome young man with a custom suit and a thick wallet.

But Clare didn't want handsome; she wanted _gorgeous. _She wanted eyes so deep she could get lost in them, lips so full they could enclose hers just right…

"Clarabelle? Can I help you into your corset?"

"No, Eloise, I can do it myself."

"But your mother instructed-"

"I won't tell her. Now, can I have some privacy please?"

"Yes, ma'am," she gathered her things and began to bustle out the door.

"Thank you, and 'Clare' will be fine."

Eloise smiled, "Yes… Clare." She winked her eye again and left. Clare collapsed on her freshly-made bed, not caring that she was wrinkling the sheets. She glared across the room at the corset hanging on her closet door.

She got up and walked past it, stepping lightly onto her balcony. She closed her eyes and let the sun warm her face as the wind cooled her body.

"Clarabelle Diane Edwards! Why is your corset still sitting in your closet?" Her mother's voice rang angrily throughout the house.

_Goodbye, breathing. _ Clare thought miserably to herself.

Unwillingly, she pulled herself into the corset and tightened the laces. Next came the petticoat, which she detested more than all the stocking and gowns in the world.

Fifteen painful minutes later, Clare sat on her vanity stool in a sky blue heap of silk as Eloise rolled her hair.

"So, I hear Andrew Torres has a trust fund the size of Georgia!" Clare noticed a twinge of the South in Eloise's voice, and it gave her a certain charm/

"I have my own trust fund to live on," Clare retorted, her voice emotionless.

"Yes, but think of how nice it would be to always feel secure."

"I don't want to feel secure any longer! I want,_ need _dangerous scenario! I need to have a wild adventure! That's what the teenage years are for; making mindless mistakes! How am I ever going to learn anything without ever having the chance to?"

Eloise was silent for a moment. "Why on earth would you ever want to make mistakes? Not all teenagers do. And the ones who do make these mistakes end up like… like me."

Clare's expression softened as a blanket of silence fell upon them. "I-I'm sorry, Eloise." Although Eloise said nothing, Clare knew her apology was accepted.

Finally, she broke the silence. "We should take the rollers out of your hair," she smiled and began to release the new ringlets that fell just above Clare's shoulders.

"Beautiful," Eloise smiled.

Clare rose from her seat, than thanked and dismissed Eloise. She looked in the mirror, tousling her curls lightly. She had to say, she admired her appearance. Her parents had spent a lot of money wrecking her natural beauty, and replacing it with an artificial one.

But it would pay off when she married into a family as wealthy as hers was. At least, that's what her parents seemed to think.


	2. Chapter 2

"You look ravishing, Clarabelle," Andrew whispered to Clare.

"Thank you, but I think the girl who seems to have been ogling you all evening from across the room would beg to differ," Clare retorted with more attitude than was necessary, referring to the dark-skinned girl in the too-tight dress. Clare thought it was a shame, seeing such a pretty girl with no apparent self-respect.

"That's Alliah. Her family recently came here from India. Politicians."  
"Interesting," Clare said, trying to be polite. A song rang out from the front of the room, and well-dressed couples took each other in their hands and began to whirl around the room.

"May I have this dance?" Andrew extended his hand to her, and raised his eyebrows expectantly. Clare shot her mother a pleading look, her eyes screaming to be excused from this torture.

"_Go,_" her mother mouthed angrily. Clare complied, giving Andrew a taut smile and rising to her feet. They began to twirl around the room, making uncomfortable small talk.

"So, your father's an investment banker? Impressive."

"The press seems to think so."

"You know Clarabelle-"

"It's _Clare_," she cut him off, obvious frustration in her voice.

"My apologies, Clare. As I was going to say, your eyes are truly breath-taking."

"Thank you, Andrew. But you'll have to excuse me; I have to… go to the powder room." She tore her hands away from his and began to walk away, feeling her mother's eyes burning angrily into her back. She needed to escape. The cameras had been following her all night, alongside Andrew, who was suffocating her with rehearsed compliments.

She made her way to a closet in the back, a place to get away and fantasize of a land far from her own. She knocked once for manners' sake, and then pushed the door open without waiting for a response. She was greeted by a messy mop of black hair towered over a dark-haired girl, their lips feeding hungrily on each other's. When they saw Clare, the girl pulled away and a dark rose blush cascaded across her cheeks.

"M-my apoli…" Clare's voice trailed off as her eyes met a pair of enticingly green orbs, the kind of eyes she had dreamed about.

"Eli, we have to go,"

Clare then realized that they were scared of her, terrified of being caught. At least the girl was, yet the boy only smirked and kissed her one last time. "Bring a friend next time," he said to Clare, then winked, and led the girl out of the room.

Anger boiled in her blood. Why this had antagonized her so much was a mystery. Maybe she wasn't angry at all… Maybe she was jealous. Envious beyond all recognition that this girl was awarded the right to choose the boy she loved, jealous of the fact that they didn't have to worry about being hounded by press or parents.

She felt an urge to run after that boy. He was beautiful, mysterious. He had an attitude that would make Helen Edwards faint.

But instead, Clare made her way back to the table and sat beside Grace, Andrew's sister.

"Please excuse my brother; he doesn't want a girl with a personality, or a mind of her own. Or any mind at all for that matter," Grace gestured to Andrew before taking a sip of her water.

Sure enough, Andrew was deep in conversation with Alliah Bendharri, or at least part of her. She rambled on without a clue as he fixed his eyes on her chest.

"I noticed." There was a silence. "So, Grace…"

"Please, call me Adam." Clare felt confusion flush to her face as she looked at her. Grace laughed, "Meet me in the alleyway behind the theatre after this and I'll explain? As long as you can keep a secret."

Clare nodded, although she was unsure. She'd never had to keep a secret before, or sneak away to an alley. She felt strangely rebellious as she saw the disobedience in Grace's eyes. "Want to sneak away now? I really don't think I can take this any longer."

"Sure, go to the 'washroom', and I'll meet you outside the back door in five minutes?"

"Sounds good." Clare was trying desperately to make it look like she'd done this before. She had a combination of fear and thrill pulsating through her veins. She walked nonchalantly to the exit, and waited. Within the promised five minutes, she saw Grace walking over to her, followed by the couple Clare had seen in the closet.

The boy's face showed no surprise, but only amusement and a crooked smirk as they walked up to her. "Nice to see you again, Miss Edwards. Clarabelle, isn't it?"

"Clare, actually. And you are…?"  
"Elijah… Eli. Goldsworthy, if you want to get specific."

"And I'm Julia Montgomery. It's nice to meet you," Julia gave a small curtsy, as was accustom at such an event. She was stunning, with thick, blue-black hair and gold eyes. Clare couldn't help but notice that, with the exception of Julia, this group spoke with a casualness Clare was unfamiliar with. It made her feel like an outsider, like even though she would be considered too good for them, she was unworthy of their presence.

"It's nice to meet you too, Julia. Eli. So, Adam? Are we ready to go?"

Eli looked up at her when she said Adam's name, then cocked an eyebrow and looked at him. "You told her?"

"Not yet, that's part of why I invited her. Come, Clare. We'll show you the way." She followed them through the twists and turns of Manhattan, and finally arrived at the Broadhurst Theatre on Broadway Street. They made their way to a small strip of road behind it and came to a halt.

"So… You're certain you can keep a secret?"

"I'm certain," Clare was beginning to get nervous, but her adrenaline was keeping her from fleeing.

"I'm a man… Trapped in a woman's body. I was born a girl, but I have the mentality of a boy. It's difficult to explain, but it's who I am."

Clare was silent for a moment, searching for words. "I think you're very brave, Adam," was all she could say. People who were different had always fascinated her, but they were foreign all the same.

"Thank you. So…" he changed the subject. "Who wants to go to the train tracks?"

Clare's eyes widened. What would they do at the train tracks? She didn't care, she decided. She was finally being given the danger she'd been craving. Julia must have noticed Clare's confusion, because she squeezed her hand and said, "Don't worry, it's dangerous enough for a thrill, but safe enough to do while you're sober." With that, she gathered her jet black gown into her hand and ran off to catch up with Adam and Eli. Not giving herself time to think, Clare did the same.

They arrived at the train tracks, and Eli went first. He stood in the middle of the tracks and held his hand out, his palm facing forward. As a train approached, he screamed. When the train was only two feet from his hand, he jumped off the tracks. Everyone whooped and clapped, and the passengers all looked from the windows, terrified.

Julia stepped up to go next. She ripped the fabric from her dress from the knees down and launched herself on the track just in time for the next train to come rumbling down the tracks.

But she was too late.

They heard a scream, not a free, adrenaline-rooted scream like Eli's; but a scream laced with fear, dripping with terror. The train drove over her as tears streaked down Clare and Adam's eyes. Eli's cries of desperation echoed across the tracks.

As soon as her mangled body was freed from the train, the three ran over to her. Eli shook her gently, whispering. "Julia, please, no. Please don't leave me…" Words of grieving pain escaped hoarsely from his lips.

But it was of no use, she was gone to a place from which she could never return.

**A/N: Sorry, the ending was rushed… And I'm sorry to my Beta Reader, Spazzykat112 for not sending this to you first! But I REALLY wanted to get this up by tonight… Review please! I'm glad to see you guys like this story! And I'm on a bit of a new-story-craze, so if anyone has request I'd be happy to oblige to writing them! Review with ideas or PM me! **


	3. Chapter 3

Clare ran up to her home to find the front door locked. Tears still glided down her cheeks, and she sank to the ground in distress. Her encounter with the group of misfits had begun as the adventure she had been pining for, but ended in a tragedy that left her scarred.

Eli had ordered Adam and Clare to go home, to fake being sick and leave for the evening. Not knowing what else to do, they listened. Clare allowed herself to cry for a few minutes, and then looked up at her balcony.

She closed her eyes and remembered her fantasies of sneaking away, but never having the audacity to act upon them. She walked around the side of the mansion to where her room was, and placed one hand of the hefty vine that fell from the tree by her window, and one foot of the wall. She found the strength to climb, step by step, to the top. Upon reaching her bed, she collapsed.

By the time Clare's parents had returned, she had managed to change into nightclothes and put on a mask of illness, which wasn't very difficult based on what she had just seen.

"Clarabelle! I hope to the Lord you are in your room! There is no excuse for sneaking away unannounced as you did!" Helen's voice was getting closer, but Clare stayed silent.

"Clarabelle Diane! What are you doing? _Answer me!_" Helen pushed open the door to Clare's room to see her bundled into her silk blanket.

"I'm sorry, Mother. I got sick at the ball and went home. I should've said something, but it never crossed my mind. I guess whatever I've caught is getting to my head."

Her mother's face softened, and she crossed over to Clare, feeling her forehead. "You are a little warm, so I suppose you can be excused." Clare thanked her silently. "So, what did you think of Andrew?" Helen pressed into Clare's thoughts, giving her a sip of water.

"He was batting eyes at every girl there, Mother."

"Now, Clarabelle, don't be hasty with judgments. I'll leave you to your sleep. Goodnight."

Clare knew sleep was too far for her to reach. All she could see when she closed her eyes was Julia's face when she stopped breathing, Eli's slow tears falling from his emerald eyes. All she could hear was the scream, the roar of the train, the gasp of the passengers.

Clare was unquestioning that after this night, her life would never be the same. She would never be able to rid her mind of the details.

"Clare!" Her thoughts were interrupted as she sat bolt upright. The voice was caught between a man and a woman, and so was the person attached to it.

"Adam?"

"Come with me, Eli needs us." Clare didn't ask questions, she only leaped out of bed and tore her nightgown from the knees down, a silent tribute to Julia. She followed Adam down the side of her house and listened as he talked.

"Eli's terrified. He's convinced the whole thing's his fault. He keeps repeating, 'I shouldn't have let her go.' We have to help him, Clare."

She nodded. "Where is he?"

"By the tracks, I went to go see him after my parents went to sleep, and he's not well, Clare. He needs us."

They made their way to the tracks, feeling the shadows of the night they'd had swirling around them, making their skin crawl with goosebumps.

But once they reached the sight, Adam grabbed Clare's shoulder and yanked her behind a bush. Clare peered over the hedge to see lights flashing in Eli's face. He was yelling at everyone to leave him alone. People threw questions at him with a merciless aggression. "Do you blame yourself?" "What were you doing here so late?" "Was anyone else involved?"

Eli only yelled at them, and within a half an hour, they were gone, leaving him to grieve. Clare noticed that Julia's body had been swept away, leaving the haunting feeling that she was still there, as alive as she'd ever been.

"Eli, Eli. I'm so sorry." She ran over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder and rubbing his arm. She hadn't any idea how to comfort a grieving soul. Her whole life, her parents had sheltered her from such pain, giving her no chance to learn what it's like.

"I n-never got to say goodbye, to tell her I loved her one last time." He choked out hoarsely between sobs.

"She knows, Eli. People don't leave when they die, their bodies do." He glared up at me when I said the words, then his expression softened.

"Thank you, Clare. But I don't believe in God." His face was solemn, his expression showed only the pain of his loss.

Clare was taken back. Of course, she knew that there were non-believers; but she never thought she would be given the chance to be acquainted with one. She felt an odd respect for Eli. He was completely willing to prove that he was different. His clothes were all black, something that was rarely seen in such a prestigious community. His hair fell freely over his eyes, something that was frowned upon nearly everywhere.

And here he was, openly admitting his rare, foreign thoughts on religion. Not thinking, Clare took his hands in hers. "God or no God, she knew you loved her."

She felt Adam staring at her, so she looked up at him. He was smiling and gave her a small nod.

"Can I… stay here with you two tonight? I promise I'll have you home before the sun comes up." Eli's face was serious. Clare hesitated, was there such a thing as too much rebellion for one night? She decided that if she could get through the death of a new friend and the comfort of another, she could unquestioningly get through a night away from home.

The only problem was, she wasn't sure if she could get through what had already happened that night.

**A/N: Ok, so this chapter was a little rushed... Kind of a filler... Sorry! Anyway I hoped you liked it... I also hope the next chapter will be A LOT better than this! Ok... Review and I will loveth thee forever!**


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys! I feel like such a flake, and I'm really sorry… But I felt like I should explain this…

I'm leaving FanFiction… I know, I know! I'm a horrible person! But, I have my reasons! I don't want to base my stories off of other plotlines anymore; I want to make my own! Therefore, I have made a FictionPress account! FictionPress is all original writing, and mine's up now! Check it out if you love me, and I am so sorry for not finishing all those stories!

Keep being awesome, cause you are

Here's my FictionPress, there's one story up right now, but another's coming soon! Please please PLEASE read it, it would mean so much to me! The story's about angels, and it's going to be really interesting… It'll be worth your while I promise! Review it, too, please! .com/u/763590/

If the link doesn't open, just go to the site and search TheMortician'sDaughter777


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